Death by Candy: Live IDSP16 Field Update from Madrid

by Maren Haas; IEM student and IDSP16 Fellow

As a child growing up in the United State, I was always excited for any holiday, but especially those with parades.  They were the few days of the year that my parents allowed me to accept candy from strangers and give hugs to my favorite Disney characters.  Growing up, I still appreciate the tradition, but some of the thrill has gone away.  When I arrived in Spain last week, I knew I was going to have the oppIMG_0439ortunity to observe the holiday Reyes Magos, or Three Kings Day, but little did I know the parade that awaited me.

Leaving the hostel first thing in the morning, I saw rows of blue and white chairs lining the streets, empty, waiting for the spectators.  Come early evening, the chairs filled with people waiting for hours for the parade to commence.  My friends and I found a place to stand behind the two rows of chairs and people quickly filled in behind us.  Darth Vader led a possy of minions to start the parade, and the children went wild.  I started thinking about pop culture’s ability to infiltrate religious festivities, when WHOOOOSHHHH a piece of candy whizzed passed my head.  It startled me, but I quickly understood why adults and children alike around me were holding plastic bags above their heads.  Unlike the United States, where treats are periodically handed out or lobbed lightly into the crowd, here handfuls of candy were being pelted in all directions with force.IMG_0448

The plastic bags, and sometimes even an upside-down umbrella, were being strategically used to collect the sugary goods and to protect faces. My friends and I were excited, but terrified, and WHOOOOSHHH a frisbee swiped across my friends face.  Frisbees became small toys and the candy continued to be hurled in our direction – we savored the moments between floats when we were safe from the flying sweets.  People around us laughed and asked us about parades in our country as we continued to cower and flinch each time a hand pitched in our direction.  As the parade ended, it was almost a sense of relief: the battle was over, everyone had won, and the three kings will be remembered for another year.

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